The Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), which implements the Centre’s flagship affordable medicine scheme PMBJP, has found 25 batches of drugs of 18 different pharmaceutical companies to be of substandard quality since January 2018, according to an official document.

While 17 out of the 18 companies are private, one is a public sector unit (PSU) — Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL), according to the document. Both the BPPI and the IDPL work under the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the central government.

Once the affordable generic drugs are procured from pharmaceutical companies by the BPPI, they are supplied to various Janaushadhi Kendras that are managed under the Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). There are 4,677 Janaushadhi Kendras functional in the country, as on December 31, 2018.

As on February 8 this year, under the PMBJP scheme, the BPPI has entered into a contract with 146 pharmaceutical manufacturing companies for procuring generic medicines to be sold through dedicated retail outlets. In response to queries sent by PTI, Sachin Singh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), BPPI, said, “BPPI has taken stringent action against the suppliers whose products were declared ‘Not of Standard Quality’”

Singh gave a list of companies that have been debarred or blacklisted for selling “not of standard quality” products. “Details of firms, blacklisted/debarred by BPPI are also disclosed for the public by hoisting it on our website,” he said.

Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/25-batches-of-drugs-of-18-pharma-companies-found-substandard-since-jan-2018-by-bppi/article27956298.ece